Economic Considerations

Merrifield Pasture

An oft-used word these days is sustainability. It applies here. How do we sustain native prairie, grasslands, native plants, birds, and other wildlife? First, Prairie Partners advocates that we recognize a fundamental reality. In the Red River Valley, grass cover on lands is likely there because the soils and/or hydrology make those lands marginally productive, at best, for cropping. Now with higher commodity prices for an assortment of crops, there is a strong incentive to put the best of the marginal lands back into production agriculture. Although Prairie Partners respects the right of landowners to "follow the money", we believe that conservation of our plant and wildlife heritage transcends economic considerations; that this heritage is "priceless". Society at large needs to be proactive in deciding how much of this heritage should be conserved, and then be willing to provide the necessary economic incentives to make it happen.

In recent years, conservationists have increasingly realized that setting land aside for wildlife is not enough. Such lands must be actively managed in ways that favor native grasses and wildflowers over exotic plants and woody vegetation. Although some bird species thrive in an overgrown grassland, most like neither the tall grasses nor the ground litter that develops. The greatest diversity of birds occurs where there is a range of management practices, from heavily grazed tracts to lands that are not grazed for years at a time. Before settlement, such variation in grasslands was created and maintained by periodic fires and occasional heavy grazing by bison. Today, the use of fire is difficult. The best tool available to manage grasslands is to employ grazing by cattle or bison. Here then, is the best way to obtain an economic return from the grasslands, as private landowners have done for decades. Since most Americans want to have meat in their diet, what better way to provide it than to grow it locally while also benefitting wildlife and maintaining our prairie heritage? As you learn about our prairie heritage by browsing this web site, think about how we can partner to protect and nurture our local prairies and grasslands in ways that benefit both wildlife and people. Contact us with your thoughts, we'd love to hear from you.